The present disclosure relates generally to thermal management, and more particularly to systems and methods for use in balancing and transporting heat among hydraulic systems within an aircraft.
In at least some known aircraft, heat from one or more hydraulic systems is dissipated into fuel through a heat exchanger located inside a fuel tank. Other known aircraft have no hydraulic system heat exchangers and address hydraulic fluid heating through restrictions and limitations on operation of such aircraft when an outside ambient temperature is above a predetermined threshold. Additionally, some known aircraft include a thermostat control to selectively cause hydraulic fluid to bypass a heat exchanger, in order to retain heat and to reduce pressure loss in hydraulic lines when the outside ambient temperature is below a predetermined threshold. Additionally, some known aircraft use hydraulic system circulating flow to control the temperature of hydraulic fluid. More specifically, in such aircraft, hydraulic orifice valves are installed in extremities of hydraulic systems to adjust system internal leakage so as to control heat generated through the orifices and total heat loss from hydraulic tubing to the ambient. Additionally, some known aircraft use guided ram air flow to cool the temperature of hydraulic fluid. Accordingly, such systems require substantial modification to structural surfaces of an aircraft. In summary, there exists a need for a cost-effective and efficient system for heating and cooling of hydraulic fluid within an aircraft.